A Bolt out of the Blue
by R-A-Seward
Summary: A turn of events in their current investigation leaves Hisoka on probation. Are there larger events behind it? And what is the shadow haunting the Kokakuro? PLEASE READ AUTHOR'S NOTE.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Used to be "The Ballad of Reading Gaol". This is from my old account, TerraAftershock, which I can't log into because the email is dead. I'm going to keep running the rewrite, which for the first few chapters will be just editing, but it'll likely turn out very differently—I've lost all my notes, but I remember most of it! The original was too OOC and contrived, relying too much on the Big Misunderstanding ™ that I've grown to loathe, but I can't help feeling there's something good hidden in this mess.

I know this is almost impossible, but if someone happens to have the first version sitting around their computer, I'd love to have it! I've lost it. TT_TT

And I've been thinking I might rewrite some of my one-shots as well, so if you have any requests please tell me!

_**Chapter One**_

_**This hopeless feeling  
This fear of falling down  
But I'm not crashing now  
For all this bleeding  
It wasn't worth the sound  
A million screaming out loud**_

_**- **__**Saf**__**e and Sound**__**, written by Gerard Way**_

The apartment was almost completely black and eerily still. Hisoka felt a prickling energy run up his arms and legs, but shook it off. _I shouldn't have come here..._

"You said you had information." He watched Adrian cross the room to open the curtains. A mass of neon lights poured through the window, tinting the room in countless colors.

"Yes, we'll get to that." Adrian turned. His eyes traced Hisoka head to toe, and the empath could feel lust radiating from him.

Panic flooded his limbs and exploded painfully in his chest. He tried to swallow down his heart, which had lodged itself at the back of his throat.

"Tell me now." he demanded. He tried drowning the fear in anger, but the fear won.

Adrian closed the distance between them. Hisoka couldn't move, his fight-or-flight response frozen. He felt a hand cradle the back of his skull, lips touch the pulse point just below his jaw. Adrian smirked at the pulse's break-neck tempo.

"Hm? You're not frightened, are you?" By now, Adrian's lust was strong enough to drown out Hisoka's own terror, twisting up his torso in a tight spiral. _Stop. Fucking stop._ His overloaded empathy refused to cooperate.

"Information. Now." A chuckle vibrated over his shoulder.

"Very well." Something was slipped into his back jean pocket- a packet of papers or an envelope. Hisoka reached for it, only to have Adrian grab his wrist. "You can look at it later."

Adrian pulled him away, guiding him towards the bedroom door. Hisoka's mind became a jumble, one thought overlapping onto another, onto another. He couldn't speak.

He was pulled inside, and the door shut with a low, echoing thud.

* * *

Tsuzuki glanced at his watch and frowned. 8 am. _Where the hell is Hisoka?_ He walked over to the hotplate set in the hotel room's table, heating up water for tea. After a few moments, a light signaled that it was hot enough. He stirred in a packet of instant tea, blew some of the steam away, and took a sip.

Between the hotplate and the TV set, the notes from their latest investigation were spread haphazardly. Today they'd be handing it off to another pair, but they'd found little to add to the report. Eight male prostitutes murdered, three weeks of investigation, and not a single lead to show for it. He glanced idly over the pages, wondering (as he always did) if Muraki was involved somehow. It seemed they were never able to fully escape the doctor.

Tsuzuki jumped as the phone rang. He sighed, shook his head, and answered.

"Hello?"

"Good morning." The voice was that of someone younger, a teenager perhaps. "May I speak with Hisoka?"

"Who is this?"

"My name is Ryu Hiraoka. You met me last week. Do you remember?"

"Ah." One of their investigation contacts. Now he remembered. "Well... Hisoka isn't here right now. He never came back last night, actually. He said he was with you."

"With me? No, he wasn't. Not for long. He left before 10 to talk to Adrian. We were gonna meet up this morning." Tsuzuki's frown deepened.

"Adrian?"

"One of the last clients Hitoshi met up with before he died."

Tsuzuki bit back a curse.

"Do you know where he lives?" he asked. "I'm going to find Hisoka."

* * *

The address lead to a white apartment building. Tsuzuki raced to the fourth floor, praying Hisoka was alright. _Why does he always run off?_ Even after all that time as partners, Hisoka still put himself into dangerous situations without talking to Tsuzuki. Did he still not trust him on some level?

Finding number 402, he knocked loudly.

No one answered.

He reached out to try the door, and to his surprise it opened without fuss. He stepped inside.

"Hello? Adrian? Hisoka?"

"Can I help you?" A dark haired man walked out into the entryway. He wore only a pair of tan dress pants, and was toweling his hair dry.

"Ah! Sorry." Tsuzuki fought back his embarrassment, getting down to business. "You're Adrian Melmouth?"

"That's me. You are?"

"Asato Tsuzuki. I'm Hisoka's partner."

"Oh!" Adrian looked almost amused. "I suppose you're looking for him then? Come in."

Tsuzuki stepped through the door hesitantly. Adrian led him into a large living room.

"Can I get you something to drink, Mr. Tsuzuki?"

"…. No thank you."

"Very well." He poured himself a cup of green tea. "How long have you and Hisoka been together, if I might ask?"

"Huh? Oh! Not that kind of partner. We work together."

"Ah, forgive me. I assumed… no matter." _This guy is seriously creepy,_ Tsuzuki thought. Something about the way he talked, the looks he gave… and his Japanese was far too formal, almost antiquated. "What is it that you do?" Adrian asked.

Tsuzuki froze. It wasn't as if he could just say "investigation", that would clue Adrian in to his status as a suspect.

He was saved having to say anything by Hisoka walking into the room. His hair was damp, just like Adrian's, and he had a far-off expression.

"Hisoka!" He rushed over. "Why didn't you tell me where you were going?"

His partner looked horrified for a moment, then his face fell back into its emotionless state. "We'll talk about this later." Tsuzuki tried to argue, but only got a glare from Hisoka.

"I hate to interrupt," Adrian stepped forward. "But before you leave-" He pulled out his wallet, removed a wad of yen and tucked it into the breast pocket of Hisoka's shirt. "For services rendered."

"What services?" Tsuzuki snapped. "Tell me what's going on."

"That's between you and your _partner_." Adrian herded them towards the door. "It was nice meeting you, Mr. Tsuzuki, but I really must be getting on with my day." And before he could argue Tsuzuki was pushed out the door, followed by Hisoka. The door shut with a loud _klatch_.

He turned to Hisoka.

"What the hell is-" But Hisoka disappeared, heading back to Meifu.

* * *

Three days. Hisoka hadn't spoken to him in those three days since they'd returned. He wouldn't look at him. They'd written reports on their part of the investigation, and not once had Hisoka looked anyone in the eye. Wakaba, Watari, everyone asked him what was wrong, and each time Tsuzuki had to admit that he didn't know.

To add insult to injury, the "information" turned out to be things they already knew.

On the fourth day, a member of the Internal Investigation Bureau knocked on his office door and informed him that he was needed in the office of Tatsuya Namikawa, the bureau chief. When he arrived, he saw Hisoka leaving, looking pale and ill. He tried catching his partner's eye, but to no avail.

"Come in, Tsuzuki-san." He obeyed.

Namikawa was a stern, older gentleman who'd been a World War II veteran. He glanced from the papers on his desk to Tsuzuki, adjusting his thick, square bifocals.

"There seems to be some inconsistencies in your reports. I'd like to ask you for a short explanation of the last two days of your investigation." Tsuzuki frowned, but nodded.

"We were getting to know some friends of the victims; a young man named Ryu Hiraoka and his younger friend Keitaro Honda. The night before we returned, Hisoka said he was with Ryu, getting information."

"How late was Kurosaki out?" Namikawa watched Tsuzuki over the tops of his glasses.

"Actually... he didn't return. I ended up finding him at a suspect's house."

"Did he tell you that he was going to get information from this suspect?"

"No, sir. He didn't tell me anything." Clearing his voice, Namikawa went on.

"What was his behavior like? His mood?" Tsuzuki bit his lip for a second, trying to find a delicate way to put it.

"He seemed... distressed. Greatly distressed." When he didn't elaborate, Namikawa sighed.

"Do you know where he got the large sum of money?"

"It was given to him by the suspect, Adrian Melmouth."

"Did Melmouth mention why?"

Tsuzuki gritted his teeth, remembering Adrian's smug attitude.

"He said it was for 'services rendered', but he didn't explain."

Finally, Namikawa waved him off.

"Thank you, Tsuzuki-san. You may go."

"Sir, do you know what's going on? Hisoka never explained."

Namikawa hesitated, then said "I'll send you a copy of the main report once it's compiled."

Tsuzuki left, frustrated and completely in the dark.

* * *

"Muraki, where do you find ones like that?" Adrian grinned. Over the phone, Muraki laughed.

"I'm glad to see you're enjoying your role in this."

"From your description of his personality, I didn't think he'd cooperate at all. I was pleasantly surprised."

"Did he cooperate?" Muraki said lightly. "I suppose he is an empath, after all..."

"Oh, is that why he was so... responsive?"

Muraki laughed again. "Don't let your libido distract you, Adrian. Stay on target, and you can borrow him whenever you want. You still have work to do."

"I suppose. Will we be meeting again to discuss work?"

"I'm afraid not. I have family duties to attend to." He picked up a photo on his desk, showing a baby boy in the arms of a charming young mother. "But perhaps you'd like to join? You'll be able to meet Cheya."

"Oh? Then perhaps I will... what does one bring to a first birthday party?"


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Kind of a short chapter, and I didn't do too much to this editing-wise.

_**Chapter Two**_

_**Come one, come all to this tragic affair**_

_**Wipe off that makeup**_

_**What sin is despair**_

_**So throw on the black dress, make sin with the lot**_

_**You might wake up and notice you're something you're not**_

_**- **__**The End**__**, My Chemical Romance**_

The next day, Hisoka didn't show up at work. Tsuzuki didn't even try to work on the papers littering his desk. He opened the door to the break room and poked his head inside. Wakaba and Terazuma sat, their coffee and sweets practically untouched.

"Hey. Do you know where Hisoka is?" The partners exchanged looks.

"Didn't Hisoka tell you?" Wakaba asked hesitantly. Tsuzuki shook his head. "Well... you should probably talk to Konoe. He has the report." Tsuzuki bit his lip, but nodded and left. He walked to Konoe's office at the end of the hall, ignored the sign that told him to **PLEASE KNOCK**, and strode over to the oak desk.

"Kaicho, where is Hisoka?" Konoe blinked, then cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Kurosaki didn't say anything?"

"No! No one's told me anything. Namikawa said he'd give me a copy of the report, but didn't. Wakaba said I should ask you."

Konoe sighed, knit his fingers together and rested his chin on his hands. After a few moments, he pulled a paper from the in-box and handed it to Tsuzuki.

Tsuzuki scanned it quickly. His heart dropped into his stomach as his eyes latched onto one of the paragraphs. **For ****engaging in sexual relations with a mortal man, Kurosaki is on unpaid leave for one month. He is not allowed to leave Meifu, or to be inside the Ministry building during regular work hours.**

He looked at Konoe, but the chief hadn't moved, his eyes closed. Without a word, Tsuzuki dropped the paper onto the desk, and left.

Wakaba tried to stop him, but he shook his head and walked on. His feet carried him down to the familiar path to Hisoka's house. The pots of flowers Tsuzuki had given him were well cared for, but something about the house didn't seem right. He realized that they weren't, in fact, the flowers he'd given. The pots were the same, but the flowers had been replaced. By the door, he saw a bag containing the remnants of pulled chrysanthemums and snap dragons.

He paused outside the door before knocking. "Hisoka? Hisoka, may I please talk to you?"

There was a pause, a shuffle, then the door opened.

"Come in." His eyes were rimmed with dark purple shadows, their emerald color dulled. Tsuzuki followed him silently into the kitchen, where two hot cups of tea waited. "I knew you'd come."

Tsuzuki sat down and stared into his tea for a long time. Hisoka didn't push him. Before then, moments like this were comforting, calming. At the moment, tension filled the tiny kitchen, vibrating fiercely between them.

"You want to know if Adrian raped me?" Hisoka cut right to the point.

Tsuzuki hung his head. "Yes."

Hisoka gazed at his untouched cup of tea. "I don't know." The words seemed forced and agitated. "I don't know where my responsibility ends and his begins."

"I can't believe you're responsible."

"You don't want to." Tsuzuki looked across the table at his partner. The boy looked so fragile. He wanted desperately to hold him, but feared he might crush like a bird's egg.

"I'd like to think that I know you better than that."

"I'm not sure we know each other all that well."

Tsuzuki returned his gaze to the tea. His old instincts were trying to well up, telling him to leave, to act understanding and let his heart break yet again. But he refused. He could still remember his young partner clinging to him desperately, begging him to stay. _This isn't just about you anymore_.

"Hisoka..." Tsuzuki emptied his teacup and stood. "I won't bother you. Stay here and sort things out. Blame yourself, if it helps. I just..." He took a deep breath. "Remember that I'm always here."

* * *

"If you'll excuse me, I need some fresh air." Oriya smiled at Ukyo, who's face shone with pride.

"Oh, certainly. I think I'll join you. Kazutaka!" Muraki glanced up from his conversation with Adrian Melmouth. "Oriya and I are going onto the balcony." Her fiancé smiled and nodded.

The night air was clean and cool. Oriya shifted uncomfortably in his street clothes, and settled into a chair. Ukyo gently set little Kyoshi into Oriya's lap, then sat in a chair opposite.

Kyoshi looked up at Oriya with large black eyes, as if simultaneously afraid and impressed. Oriya smiled at the boy, and started to hum a traditional tune, bouncing Kyoshi on his knee in time with the rhythm.

"You're so good with children!" Ukyo said with a smile. "I'm impressed!"

"I've known many mothers, and babysat for most of them."

"Have you ever thought of getting married? It might be nice to have a charming wife to help you run that restaurant of yours." Oriya smiled a tired smile.

"I've chosen a different route, I guess. At this point, I think marrying is out of the question." He glanced down at the boy, who'd taken a hold of a lock of long brown hair and started to chew on it.

"Kyoshi!" Ukyo laughed. "Don't do that!" Oriya lifted Kyoshi up to eye level.

"That can't taste good, _bozu._" He stood, holding the child close and rocking back and forth on his feet. Glancing down at the street below, he froze.

Someone watched him from below. The street lights added no detail, making the figure seem cut from a shadow. Having been noticed, it walked away.

"Mibu?" Ukyo looked at him, confusion etched across her round face.

"Ah... it's nothing. A trick of the light." Her face relaxed.

"Oh! You had me worried." Oriya smiled. He handed Kyoshi back to her.

They walked inside again, and Oriya refused to look back.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter Three**_

_**Even in the darkness,**_

_**Every color can be found**_

_**And every day of rain**_

_**Brings water flowing**_

_**To things growing in the ground**_

_**- **__**Penny's Song**__**, from **__**Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along **__**Blog**_

Rain poured heavily, buckets of it running off the overhangs of the houses in Meifu. Although rain usually calmed Hisoka down considerably, this weather did nothing to soothe his agitated mind.

He sat in his livingroom, watching water trail in a thick layer down the window. In his mind, he turned yesterday morning's conversation- if it could be called that- with Tsuzuki over in his mind.

He was at a loss to explain.

_"I can't believe that you're responsible."_ Why? Was it just the man's trusting nature that removed all responsibility on Hisoka's part? _Why is it that __**you**_ _blame yourself?_ He knew that his empathy had been overloaded. So why was he responsible?

_I wasn't strong enough._ Tsuzuki was already strong enough to let Hisoka sort things out without too much interference, even though the man was well known for prying. He trusted his partner enough to figure things out on his own. Hisoka couldn't help but feel that he'd let his partner down.

Something flickered in the back of his mind. The feeling he'd had, watching Adrian walk towards him... it wasn't just fear. There was a certain loss of control that drove the fear forward, growing even as Adrian's painfully strong emotions overpowered his own. It was a burning fear that broke down his barriers, enough to turn him into a sobbing wreck. He hated the idea of breaking down like that. He still felt the need to be the support in their dysfunctional relationship.

_Losing control..._ He brushed a hand over one bare arm, feeling his mind go fuzzy. With one finger, he began to trace his skin absent mindedly, trailing lightly up his arm. From his shoulder, he moved across an invisible line just below the clavicle to the center, then down-

When his finger was directly over his heart, he froze. A burning sensation exploded inside him, spreading over his bare skin. The red marks ran from that centerpoint outward, archaic characters blazing against his skin. He clenched his teeth in pain.

Then something happened that he'd never seen before. His body began to glow, a fiery-colored smoke pouring off his skin. Pain burned through him, agony like he'd never felt before. It felt- and looked- like he was on fire.

His mind went numb and blank. He rushed out into the rain, hearing it hiss as it evaporated against his skin. A scream tore it's way out of his throat, and many followed it. He dropped to the ground. Writhing and screaming, he watched as the world around him seemed to catch fire, regardless of the rain. Somewhere beyond him, he thought he could see Tsuzuki watching him, empty eyes flowing with tears, just like Kyoto.

_"I'm so tired..."_

* * *

"I'm so tired..." Watari whined, resting his head on the break room table. 003 nestled into his hair, hooting softly. "Yes, I remembered to sleep this time."

Tatsumi looked up from his coffee. "I'll never understand how you talk to that bird."

"I'm her creator. Of course I can understand her."

"Of course." Tatsumi rolled his eyes. They sat in amiable silence. 003 began to nibble at the wavy blond locks, almost seeming to try and braid them. Watari reached up and scratched the owl on the head. It was absurd, Tatsumi thought, how much affection the man showed his mechanical creations. Then again, it wasn't like Watari to do anything halfway.

A loud noise pulled them from their sleepy mood. They both stood so quickly that their chairs clattered to the ground.

"What was that?"

Rushing out to the main hall, they froze in their tracks.

Tsuzuki had run in carrying Hisoka, who was passed out and covered in blood.

"What happened?" Tatsumi demanded.

"I don't know. I found him like this in front of his house." They followed him to the infirmary. Doctors surrounded the group, pulling Hisoka out of Tsuzuki's arms. After some argument, the group was kicked out into the hall to wait.

A nerve-wracking half-hour passed. Sometime while they waited, Wakaba showed up with Terazuma, and later Konoe stopped by.

Finally, a doctor emerged through the door. The group looked up, all swallowing back questions.

"We don't know what happened." The doctor admitted. "His vitals are stable, but he's still unresponsive. Otherwise, he's fine."

"But that blood—" Tsuzuki began.

"Hisoka is uninjured. As far as we can tell, none of that blood is his own."

* * *

Detective Asakawa's lips had pressed into a thin line. He felt like he'd walked onto the set of a horror film, and the longer he spent at the scene, the less real it all felt.

The victim, a foreigner, was slumped against the wall, the back of his skull blown out, it's contents spread over the walls and the man wore a look of shock, blood running from his eyes, ears, nose and mouth. He was clutching a shirt that looked like it belonged to a smaller man. Scattered like leaves over the apartment was a large amount of money. One of the junior officers counted it- 80,000 yen in all.

"His name was Adrian Melmouth." The young cop said, glancing over his small notebook. "He doesn't have any family contacts, but in his wallet we found the business card of a certain Dr. Muraki, a matchbook from a restaurant in Kyoto called Kokakuro, and a membership card to a host club in Ginza."

Asakawa sighed. "Man... Something like this just had to come along before my time off."

The younger officer continued. "Sometime before the murder, some neighbors recall seeing a teenage boy enter the apartment, but apparently that wasn't uncommon at all."

"Surprise me. So, did they describe the kid?"

"Yeah. They said he was really thin, looked like a doll. Green eyes."

"Another _gaijin_?"

The young man merely shrugged.

* * *

_The world around him was white- no distin__ction between ground and sky, no sign of what was keeping him up. Hisoka looked around, feeling a bit off-kilter in these strange surroundings. So __where am I? he wondered. He vaguely recalled being at home, watching the rain. __ Why wasn't I at work? He tried to put his thoughts in order, but failed. Whatever he'd been doing for the last week or more had vanished from his mind._

_Suddenly, he felt a tug on the back of his shirt. Spinning around, he looked down to see a small child. She wore a kimono, and her eyes were as green as his own._

_"Nii-chan, come on! I wanna show you around!"_

_"Wha- what is there to see?" he asked, looking around again. Still, there was nothing._

_"I gotta show you!" She said, frustrated. Grabbing his hand, she started to pull him away. He followed, but couldn't help asking_

_"What's your name?"_

_The girl smiled back at him._

_"I'm Hisoka!"_


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: So here's where the totally new content comes in! Keep in mind, this is written years after the last few chapters. I really hope this works.

_**Chapter 4**_

_**I man these wretched machines**_

_**Day in day out**_

_**The grinding wears on my brain**_

_**Undermining my sanity**_

_**Making me question my reality**_

_**Awoken****, H8_Seed + Wooden Toaster**_

Time was moving too quickly.

Tsuzuki leaned back in his chair until only the two back legs contacted the floor. His mind buzzed. He had two cases at once to deal with now, Hisoka was in the infirmary, and all he could think of was the day he met Adrian.

Something had been off. As much as he'd never admit it, it made sense that Adrian had assumed (as far as Tsuzuki could tell) that Hisoka was prostitute, if he'd made himself out to be one of Ryu's friends. But there was something about Adrian's behavior... he had made no move to be subtle about it, as if flaunting the fact that he'd slept with Hisoka. He wanted Tsuzuki to know- and he had, as much as he'd tried to deny it. Something told Tsuzuki there was more to it...

He stood, stretching. Grabbing his jacket, he headed towards earth, and Adrian's apartment.

What he found shocked him.

Police had cut off the area, taping off the front door.

Turning invisible, he crawled under the tape and crept around the police. His stomach churned. Blood splattered the wall, small chunks scattered throughout.

He walked over to the table. A datebook had been thrown haphazardly on top of some old mail. With a glance behind him, Tsuzuki flipped through it.

It seemed Adrian had carefully scheduled all of his meetings with prostitutes- the same that ended up dead. Hisoka's name was written in as well.

_So he knew he'd be speaking to Hisoka?_ _How?_

In the current week, there were two events written: _**Muraki**_ and **_Kurosaki_**_**again**._ His teeth clenched.

Silently, he vanished back to Meifu.

* * *

"Where's Tsuzuki?" Konoe asked, head poking into the break room.

"Couldn't tell you." Terazuma said casually from behind his newspaper. Konoe sighed and shut the door. Putting his hands in his pockets, he made his way down to the infirmary.

To his surprise, Tsuzuki wasn't there either. Konoe walked over to where Hisoka slept peacefully.

He sighed again. The kid was a trouble magnet, just like Tsuzuki. Even in a family of problem children like the summons section, those two stood out in the amount of shit they'd been through. Perhaps that was why they went together so well. He smiled sadly.

Suddenly, Hisoka opened his eyes.

Konoe's stomach seemed to drop. Instead of brilliant green, the kid's eyes were filled with red smoke.

"Doctor!" Konoe called, panic infusing his voice. One of the doctors rushed in, freezing in place when he saw it.

Hisoka sat up and looked at the two. In a moment, he rushed forward. Konoe fell backwards trying to get out of the way.

The doctor wasn't so lucky. Hisoka grabbed the man's face, and a red light shone from his hand. The back of the doctor's head exploded, showering Konoe with blood and bits of gore.

He turned to Konoe, walking towards him.

"Hisoka!" The kid froze. Tsuzuki rushed into the room, a look of horror spreading across his face. Hisoka's eyes began to fade, the red turning back to green. He looked around the room, and soon wore a horrified expression identical to Tsuzuki's.

"No!" As Tsuzuki rushed forward, Hisoka vanished.

"HISOKA!"

* * *

Muraki paused, listening to the scream in the background. The man on the other end of the phone swore.

"What was that?" Muraki asked.

"Hell if I know." Arima sounded shaken.

"Perhaps it means it worked..."

"Maybe."

Lighting a cigarette, Muraki smiled.

"Hope that it does. If that's the case, we may be able to move into the next phase."

"You still haven't told me what you're trying to achieve with this..."

Muraki simply smiled again.

* * *

The shadow was back again. Oriya watched it through a crack in the shoji door. It stood perfectly still, seeming to stare up at Kokakuro. After what felt like an eternity, it turned and moved on.

Oriya didn't like it one bit. Besides its vigil, it was beginning to turn up in the corner of his vision, or moving in the background too quickly to get a good look at it.

He sighed, then moved to shut the door.

Without warning, the shadow pressed its face against the crack in the door, one white eye glaring at him.

Stumbling back, he fell. By the time he'd scrambled back to his feet, the shadow was gone once again.

"Shit!" It knew he was watching.

He was trying to slow his breath when one of the maids walked in.

"Are you alright, sir?"

"I'm fine." He smiled reassuringly.

"There's a young man here to see you."

"A customer?"

"No. He's... unusual."

Oriya walked out to the entrance.

To his surprise, it was the kid he'd dueled for the key cards.

"It was Hisoka, right?" The kid nodded. He looked a mess: rumpled purple yukata, hair mussed, a dark brown stain on his right hand.

"I need your help.


End file.
